by Curt Cavin, USA TODAY Sports

by Curt Cavin, USA TODAY Sports

INDIANAPOLIS - With Paul George out with the flu, the first 11 field goals bouncing awry and the pesky Charlotte Bobcats jumping to a big lead, the Indiana Pacers did what they've done for more than a month.

They settled and recovered.

After an early-season loss to these Bobcats and a 2-6 start, coach Frank Vogel's Central Division leaders are 23-14. This 96-88 victory Saturday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse was their third win of the week.

"Every road (doesn't) have a smooth pavement," Pacers guard George Hill said. "You're going to have bumps in the road and craters, so we took the dents early, blew a couple of flat tires, but they filled the potholes.

"We're playing good basketball right now."

David West notched his first career triple-double with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. And though the win might not have been easy, it counted in the standings all the same. The Pacers extended their recent run of success to 13 wins in 16 games.

Next up is a road test today against the Brooklyn Nets, one of the most improved teams in the Eastern Conference.

After that, Indiana travels to Charlotte to play the Bobcats, and the rematch figures to be another struggle. The Pacers lost 90-89 in Charlotte in November and spent most of Saturday night fighting them.

Not having George, a legitimate All-Star candidate, was only part of the problem. Despite having the second-fewest wins in the NBA - the Washington Wizards have five - the Bobcats have a strong backcourt with Kemba Walker, Gerald Henderson and Ben Gordon. They combined for 49 points and peskiness at every turn.

Indiana's counter was balance, and there were big numbers everywhere.

In addition to West, Hill had a team-high 19 points. D.J. Augustin, who spent his first four seasons in Charlotte, made four three-pointers on his way to 18 points. Lance Stephenson powered his way inside for a season-high 17 points.

West's complete game came amid frequent pressure. But he patiently fed the shooters at the perimeter.

Indiana made only one two-point field goal in the second quarter - a 16-foot jumper by West. The other six hoops were from long range: two each from Augustin and Gerald Green, one from Hill, another from seldom-used rookie Orlando Johnson.

"They were doubling David every time he touched the ball, so we knew that would open up some threes," Vogel said.

George's replacement, NBA journeyman Dominic McGuire, got the team's first shot, the first of the team's 11 misses. Before Hill scored at 8:32, the Pacers trailed 10-1.

Rallying wasn't much of a problem against the struggling Bobcats, who went 1-15 in December and at one point earlier in the season lost 18 consecutive games, but they continued to give the Pacers a fight.

It wasn't until the final 3 minutes, when the Pacers surged to a nine-point lead, that there was breathing room. Augustin's three-pointer at 1:17 essentially sealed it.

The Pacers attempted a season-high 28 three-pointers, making 11.

West said the absence of George, who averages a team-leading 16.9 points, was part of the early-game struggle, but the team has developed too much consistency to stumble completely.

"It took us a few games to figure it out, (but) once we got Lance in the starting lineup, we got a rotation," he said. "We should actually have a better record than we do, maybe four or five more wins."

The triple-double was Indiana's second of the season. Roy Hibbert had one Nov. 21 against New Orleans (10 points, 11 rebounds, 11 blocked shots). The franchise had gone 10 years without one.

Hill thought he had one Dec. 14 against Philadelphia, but the league later took away an assist.

Charlotte (9-27) played a zone defense extensively in the first meeting, but that approach was minimal Saturday. Coach Mike Dunlap said a 10-rebound deficit was the difference in a game that was close throughout.